Johnson, Mark, and Paul Tolchinsky. “A Redesign in the Central Intelligence Agency.” Journal for Quality & Participation 22, no. 2 (Mar./Apr. 1999): 31-35. Johnson, Mark, and Paul Tolchinsky. “A Redesign in the Central Intelligence Agency.” Journal for Quality & Participation 22, no. 2 (Mar./Apr. 1999): 31-35.
The authors write about the CIA’s collaborative effort in 1996-1997 with “Dannemiller Tyson Associates (DTA), a small organizational development firm that specializes in assisting large-scale changes in an organization,” to transform a 100-person-plus department in the CIA.
Kessler, Ronald. Inside
the CIA: Revealing the Secrets of the World's Most Powerful Spy Agency.
New York: Pocket Books, 1992.
Clark comment: Kessler's Inside the CIA is divided into five parts, one each for the four directorates and a fifth covering the Office of the Director of Central Intelligence. Kessler makes clear, both in the obligatory "Acknowledgements" and an "Author's Note," that DCI William Webster afforded him "limited cooperation" (pp. xi, xviii) in preparing the book.
Surveillant 2.6 comments that there is "considerable regurgitation of old offenses some of which are supported, others not." The book has a "good chapter on the Career Training Program." Although it contains "many undocumented assertions..., [i]n total, Inside the CIA does make an interesting and valuable contribution ... but ... it falls far short of the expectations raised by the advertising copywriters."
For Macartney, Intelligencer 10.1, this "is an easy read with a lot of information, history, trade craft, and so on." However, it "is getting out of date." Bates, NIPQ 9.2, says he "found nothing new or startling," but thinks Kessler is "fairly supportive of the CIA."
Fein, FILS 12.1, notes that Kessler tends to "make uninformed judgments of the agency ... on issues worthy of more serious discussion." Many of Kessler's "verdicts are either groundless or seriously arguable" and the book's "analytical and factual errors ... are serious barriers to sophisticated understanding."
According to Peake, AIJ 14.1, "[n]o secrets are exposed.... Ranelagh's book provides more on what was done" even though "Kessler is ... several years more current." Nevertheless, this is the "well-written product of an enterprising journalist who has provided a good overview of the functional organization sprinkled with interesting anecdotal material." The author's "statement that the security guards carry machine guns and wear park ranger hats will bring chuckles to those performing security duties." In addition, the book is an "unabashed tribute to the Judge ... [and] has enough factual errors to convince most readers to be weary [sic] of undocumented claims."
NameBase finds that "[w]hile Ronald Kessler is not a critic of U.S. intelligence agencies, neither is he an unqualified booster. The strength of this book is that he's the first outsider to be allowed inside for a tour of CIA headquarters, and granted interviews with present and former CIA officials, for the specific purpose of writing it.... He blends a bit of historical context (including some dirty laundry) with a description of day-to-day operations, and the result is worthwhile even for those ... who have read dozens of books about the CIA."
Phillips, David Atlee.
Careers in Secret Operations: How to Be a Federal Intelligence Officer.
Frederick, MD: University Publications. of America, 1984. Bethesda, MD: Stone Trail Press, 1984. [pb]
Pforzheimer: "Phillips ... has written a unique and valuable handbook for those interested in making any of the various aspects of intelligence their profession."
Warren, Ward, and Emma Sullivan. "The Historical Intelligence Collection." Studies in Intelligence 37, no. 5 (1994): 91-94.
Established by Allen Dulles in 1954.
Wendt, Jeff. "A Feature Interview with Frans Bax, President, CIA University." Greentree Gazette, Nov. 2005. [http://www.greentreegazette.com/President/BaxFrans2.aspx]
Among his responses is the following about training in the CIA over time: "CIA created its first training establishment -- called the Office of Training and Education -- in 1950, shortly after CIA was created in 1947. But in the 1990’s, after the Cold War ended, CIA went through a period of contraction that cut our training office to the bone. Virtually simultaneous with 9/11, then-Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet authorized the creation of CIA University to rebuild and expand CIA’s ability to train a new generation of employees.... Our present Director Porter Goss is continuing to emphasize the importance of strong training."
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